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Independent Monitoring Board

HMP Lindholme

CAT C – WORKING PRISON

Annual Report

1st February 2015 – 31st January 2016

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SECTION 1

STATUTORY ROLE OF THE IMB The Prison Act 1952 and the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 requires every prison and IRC to be monitored by an Independent Board appointed by the Secretary of State from members of the community in which the prison or centre is situated. The Board is specifically charged to: (1) Satisfy itself as to the humane and just treatment of those held in custody within its

prison and the range and adequacy of the programs preparing them for release. (2) Inform promptly the Secretary of State, or any Official to whom he has delegated

authority as it judges appropriate, any concern it has. (3) Report annually to the Secretary of State on how well the prison has met the

standards and requirements placed on it and what impact these have on those in custody.

To enable the Board to carry out these duties effectively its members have the right of

access to every prisoner and every part of the prison and also to the prison’s records.

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SECTION 2

CONTENTS

1. Section 1: Statutory Role of the IMB

2. Section 2: Contents

3. Section 3: Description of the Prison 4. Section 4: Executive Summary 4.1 Brief Summary of whole report 4.2 Particular issues requiring a response 4.2(a) Concerns regarding the Establishment. 4.3 Previous year’s concerns 5. Section 5: 5.1 Equality/ Inclusion and Chaplaincy 5.2 Education, Learning and Skills 5.3 Healthcare and Mental Health 5.4 Work and Purposeful Activity 5.5 Resettlement (Offender Management) 5.6 Safer Custody

5.7 Segregation and Security 5.8 Residential Services (includes accommodation, food & kitchens) 6. Section 6: Board’s Survey 7. Section 7: The Work of the Independent Monitoring Board 7.1 Board Statistics 7.2 IMB Applications

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SECTION 3

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRISON

HMP Lindholme is a Category C Male Working Prison, which was opened in 1985. It was formerly an RAF Station and occupies a very large site of approximately 128 acres close to the village of Hatfield Woodhouse, 10 miles to the east of Doncaster, South Yorkshire. It has a C.N.A (Certified Normal Accommodation) of 1002 and an O.C. (Operational Capacity) of 995.

The Establishment is a combination of buildings. A large number are former RAF buildings that have been converted into Residential accommodation, Workshops and Administration departments. Accommodated in them are:

The Chaplaincy – Library – Security - Prisoners Reception - Textile Workshop - Industrial Workshops - O.M.U. (Offender Management Unit) - Administration Block, plus a Gatehouse and Interventions Unit.

In addition, modern units have been built for further cellular Residential accommodation, Segregation block, Visits Centre plus a well-equipped and spacious Gymnasium. A Reception area for prisoners’ visitors is located outside the main gate.

The prison is part of the public sector and although the prison service is responsible for the operation of the establishment, there are two main service providers – NOVUS (previously named City of Manchester College) for Learning and Skills and Nottingham NHS Trust for the provision of Healthcare/Mental Health.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 4.1 Summary of the Whole Report

The Board’s previous report reflected on the difficult period that HMP Lindholme had gone

through and it was hoped that more stability would entail during 2015/2016. To some extent

the Board have seen forward strides being taken, however there is much work still to be

undertaken.

The Board was pleased to note that the Governing Governor, who was appointed towards the

end of the previous reporting period, gradually built a Senior Management team who are

striving to take the prison forward.

As HMP Lindholme is designated a Working prison it is essential that prisoners become

accustomed to the ethos of “attending a working day “in preparation for life following release.

In this respect contracts have been secured creating a number of work places. Although one

with the MoD is a long term project some sections of it – namely the production of sandbags

and refurbishing of vehicle pallet racks – have been started. In addition, the prison has set up

an “in house “Working Party to refurbish the smaller wing accommodation and this is enabling

prisoners to hone maintenance and construction skills.

It is also essential that prisoners transferred into HMP Lindholme have the ability to work and

do not have a long term illness or other health issues.

The Board however were dismayed to see the loss of the DHL warehousing project with a

significant loss of jobs. The Board considered this could have been avoided with a little

planning and some small funding put into a correct warehouse environment.

A major concern and one that has been regularly raised in Rota reports and at Board Meetings

is the supply and use of drugs, namely “Spice “. It has caused some disturbing issues for a

number of prisoners and as this is rife throughout the prison estate the Board is concerned

that there does not appear to be a realistic plan in place to combat it.

Other areas that need to be addressed are Healthcare, which is often operated with many

agency staff and has been highlighted by the Governor and the OMU (Offender Management

Unit) with the preparation of sentence plans.

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4.2 PARTICULAR ISSUES REQUIRING A RESPONSE

Psychoactive Substances – Spice

There has been much rhetoric and white papers produced on this subject, but as the use of

these substances has had very serious implications on the health and future lifestyle of a

number of prisoners in HMP Lindholme, the Board would like to know what actual plans are

to be put in place by NOMS to combat this issue.

Property

The Board has previously raised their concerns about the failure of NOMS and especially the

transport provider – GeoAmey - to ensure there is a system in place providing the basic

requirement of ensuring that prisoner’s property and documentation travels on the same

vehicle at the time of transfer.

Although responses have been given and a motion was raised at the IMB Annual conference

the issue has never been addressed satisfactorily.

It is not the responsibility of the IMB to pursue and locate property, but the prison

service to ensure it is accounted for.

Reduction in Staff numbers

The Board is concerned about the reduction in the number of front line officers when the

safety of both prisoners and staff is of paramount importance? Constant regime changes do

not help the morale of staff or the ability of prisoners to become accustomed to their

Personal officer.

The quotation “Penny wise pound foolish “is very relevant with this issue

Diagnosed Health Requirements

Once again the Board must raise their concerns about the issue of prisoners with serious

mental health problems and diagnosed health conditions being housed in the correct

establishment specific to their health needs.

The Board considers that any prisoner requiring frequent medical treatment and hospital

attendance should not be held in a working location as the frequency of hospital attendance

escorted by officers leaves a frequent shortfall of operational staff in the prison.

Would the Minister Kindly Respond to the Above Concerns?

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4.2(a) FURTHER CONCERNS RELATING TO THE ESTABLISHMENT

Waste Management

In previous Board Reports serious concerns were raised about the Waste Management

having become the forgotten workshop which had been neglected with buildings left to

decay and little or no investment. However, the Board were given notice prior to the end of

its’ reporting period that plans have now been passed to allow the area to be extended with

new Rest and Wash room facilities being installed, and the staffing for the workshop to be

increased.

The Board will monitor this area and the information provided to ensure that it comes to

fruition.!

This has also been stated in section 5.4

4.3 PREVIOUS YEARS’ CONCERNS

Staff Interaction with Prisoners

The interaction between Wing Staff and prisoners can make the difference between a

well ordered and safe environment and one where both staff and prisoners feel at risk.

This was a statement made in the Board’s last report and where prisoners feel that staff are

inaccessible and dismissive, easily resolved problems become major issues and far more

time consuming. Although some improvements have been made on the larger wings it is the

view of the Board that a “greater presence of uniformed staff on wing landings “could”

ensure that any minor issues are not allowed to fester and create a dangerous atmosphere.

Where this is being done the effects are most positive and to the benefit of all but more work

needs to be done in this area.

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SECTION 5

5.1 EQUALITY / INCLUSION AND CHAPLAINCY Once again the Board has to report that previous good work within Equality and Diversity

has taken a backward step as quality staff have left post and not been replaced. Priorities

elsewhere within the prison have been met with regard to staffing and, whilst those in post

do an excellent job, the shortage here is noticeable. This is an area that must be improved

over the next year.

Meetings have been taking place but have lacked the organisation that was there previously.

All participants need to have good notice of meetings to be able to contribute fully.

The abuse of the DIRF (Discrimination Incident Report Form) system continues and there is

a lack of confidence in it.

We have closely monitored over the year the allocation of work by ethnic background. We

have found no evidence that any particular group gets a better or worse job. As a routine this

will be further monitored.

The age of the prison population within HMP Lindholme continues to rise and work will need

to be done to cater for those who become infirm with age or through disablement especially

in a working prison environment.

The chaplaincy within HMP Lindholme has been through yet another difficult year and the

staff within this small but vastly important unit should yet again be praised highly for their

sterling efforts. A new full time Chaplain was appointed during the year. Problems with the

Catholic Mass have again arisen during the year where no prison officers have been

available to assist with the security issues. Having them on call rather than in situ is not the

answer.

All religious festivals have been celebrated during the year and were well received.

The mental health part of the NHS trust within the prison has been under strength yet again

for a major part of the year. This may have meant that some prisoners with mental health

issues were not always identified. However, there is no evidence that those who may suffer

from mental health have been poorly treated. A major problem with the illegal use of the drug

Spice has led to a surge in the workload of the mental health team. They have not had

enough staff to cope but it is hoped that shortly new recruits will join the team.

Sexuality issues have not arisen during the year but we continue to be aware that problems

could arise.

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5.2 EDUCATION LEARNING AND SKILLS Education Learning and Skills

Education is a core element in the provision for prisoners at HMP Lindholme. It enables

them to acquire basic educational skills and to gain nationally accredited qualifications which

in turn will be of assistance on their release into the community.

OLASS is delivered by Novus, the offender learning section of The Manchester College.

Initially, all prisoners on arrival to HMP Lindholme have an educational induction to

determine the individual route of curriculum progress.

The programme implemented by Novas has four broad elements:

Basic Skills in English and Maths, covering Entry Levels 1,2,3 and Levels 1 and 2; and PSD

‘General’ employability skills including Customer Service and Health and Safety in the Workplace to Level 1; IT User Skills to Levels 1 and 2; Information, Advice or Guidance to Level 2.

Vocational Qualifications to Levels 1 and 2 with a diversified provision as befits a working prison. These courses are delivered in the workplace with Outreach in Basic Skills and Employability Skills where required. Qualifications are currently available include: I Media, Catering, Food Preparation and Cooking, Baking Industry, Cleaning and Support Services, Construction, Rail Engineering Track Maintenance, Barbering, Horticulture, Light Vehicle Maintenance and Repair, Painting and Decorating, Plastering, Bricklaying, Joinery, Fashion and Textiles.

Virtual Campus to assist prisoners on release has been developed further this year after initial problems in previous years.

To summarise attainment in the academic year 2014-2015:

Overall: 88%

Vocational/Employment: 88%

PSD: 100%

Basic Skills in Maths and English; 57% (the relatively low figure was due to performance at Level 2)

The forecast attainment rates for the current academic year are challenging but there is an

expectation that they can be achieved.

Overall: 96%

Vocational/Employment: 94%

PSD: 100%

Basic Skills in Maths and English: 80%

The Board in its Rota regularly monitors all these areas and has always been impressed by

the quality of the teaching and the empathetic relationship between prisoners and teaching

staff. It feels that the programmes on offer at HMP Lindholme are ‘fit for purpose’ for a

working prison and give prisoners ample opportunities to attain relevant and worthwhile

qualifications from which to progress to employment on release.

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During September 2015 The Manchester College Group launched its new justice-sector

focussed organisation Novus, a not-for-profit large scale social enterprise dedicated to

delivering education, training and employability programmes in more than 100 sites within

prisons, Approved Premises and the community.

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5.3 HEALTHCARE AND MENTAL HEALTH The Board is satisfied that prisoners receive adequate medical care at HMP Lindholme.

Daily clinics attended by a GP and Dentist are held at the Health Centre and Nursing staff

visit all wings to deliver medication to prisoners twice daily.

Again during this reporting year, issues over Healthcare staffing have been a concern.

Although a new Head of Department was appointed, the Matron left after a short period and

with several Nursing staff vacancies to be filled it has created an enormous pressure on

existing staff who have had to work tirelessly to meet the needs of the prisoners.

The Board was pleased to note that the Governor took steps to highlight these issues to the

healthcare authorities and we shall continue to monitor recommendations made to improve

the situation

The Mental Health Team together with the Substance Misuse Team also face daily

challenges due to the high amount of illegal drugs found in the prison, especially “Spice”

which appears to be an escalating problem.

Increasingly HMP Lindholme is being challenged by an ageing prison population with more

specific medical needs. It should be remembered that HMP Lindholme is a Working Prison

and it is essential that prisoners are fit to work in order for it to be run effectively. The placing

of prisoners at HMP Lindholme with a high dependency of outside medical appointments

requiring several Hospital visits also impacts on the Working Prison concept.

Prisoners’ failure to attend outpatient appointments is a continuing concern for the Board.

This seems mainly due to last minute changes to prison profile resulting in lack of escorting

officers/drivers, but the prison has taken steps to ease this situation.

A member of the Healthcare Team attends weekly Segregation Reviews providing useful

background information about the prisoners if appropriate.

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5.4 WORK & PURPOSEFUL ACTIVITY

In the Board’s previous report, it stated that members were concerned with the lack of

employment within HMP Lindholme’s role as a Working Prison. At the start of this year’s

reporting period it was disturbed by the loss of a Retail Distribution Workshop (DHL), which

distributed prisoners’ canteen to seven other establishments, an Industrial Cleaning

workshop and a Hardware assembly workshop.

However, the extensive locality at HMP Lindholme is well placed to facilitate purposeful

activity and workshops enabling prisoners to gain knowledge and skills for rehabilitation back

into the community.

OLASS / Novus (Novus is a subsidiary of Manchester College)

This consists of a Waste Management Section, Vehicle Maintenance, Welding and Metal

Fabrication, the newly renamed Railway Engineering Course Amber Train, Carpentry,

Plastering, Cycle Repairs, Brick Laying and TV and Digital Box Disassembly.

Other areas of purposeful activity and workshops are: The Bakery, Horticulture and Green

House workshops, Gardens Department, Landscaping and CES laundry.

Whilst there have been some work places lost in this reporting year the Board is pleased to

report that Senior Management have made vigorous efforts to provide additional workshops.

Opened during the reporting period and employing around 100 prisoners are:

1. MOD Sand Bags - for use as sand bag barriers.

2. MOD Flat Racks - for use on the back of vehicles removed from service.

3. MOD Flat Rack covers - for use on the vehicles above.

4. Doncaster Council Light Recycling - this enables the Council to reinvest in the

installation of a new LED lighting system.

5. Training Textiles - this supports work in other areas of Textiles.

6. Wing Refurbishment Team - Working throughout the establishment.

Regime Development Plan

The Board has learned that to complement the current new workshops and purposeful

activity within HMP Lindholme, negotiations are in progress to secure additional

opportunities creating further work and schemes for prisoners and to enhance the already up

and running workshops. These are:

Developing the Social Housing Project - Manufacturing parts for assembly in the

1. Developing the Social Housing Project – Manufacturing parts for assembly in the

community.

2. Intel Contact Centre - those prisoners keen on this employment can be automatically

employed in the community.

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3. Additional work in the Bakery - supplying Bread to other Establishments.

4. MOD Engineering Project - Fabricating.

5. MOD Camouflage Nets - A short term project.

6. Kennels and Dog Beds - for sale in the community.

Waste Management

In previous Board Reports Waste Management had been the forgotten workshop which had

been neglected and buildings were left to decay. However, the Board has been given the

good news that the plans that were drafted have now been passed, fencing has been

ordered to allow the area to be extended this will start to roll out in May of this year, the new

Rest and Wash room facilities have arrived and are ready to be installed, the staffing for this

workshop will increase, one Band 4 Officer is due to be interviewed and two Band 2 Officers

have been through the process and are due to start in the near future. The amount of

prisoners working in Waste Management will increase to 16.

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5.5 RESETTLEMENT (OFFENDER MANAGEMENT) The rehabilitation function of this unit is to equip prisoners for life outside the establishment

and to ensure that the strategies offered are supported by well trained staff. However, in this

reporting period this has proved to be particularly demanding as staff shortages and the out

sourcing of Probation Services has had an effect on the amount of work which can be

produced. Within this reporting period the title of HMP Lindholme has been converted to a

Working Prison. As a consequence, the services which were used (Shelter) etc, with the

intention of assisting prisoners with housing back into the community are now not required.

Shelter’s contract expired in April 2015.

Sentence Planning (OASyS) Offender Assessment System

As in last year’s report, the Board has observed the trend of OASyS Plans completed is at a

level of concern. At the end of the reporting year there was a large backlog of prisoners

having no initial OASyS. There were also prisoners waiting for their outside Probation

Assessments, the number in the reporting year is:

Probation responsibility - 146 - Initials stood at 72 and Reviews at 74.

The establishment responsibility - 246 - Initials stood at 115 and review at 131.

Another serious issue, stated in previous reports, is the number of prisoners transferred to

Lindholme who do not have a sentence plan.

MAPPA (Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements)

MAPPA is the framework which joins up the agencies who manage prisoners. Planning for

these cases needs to start at least 6 months before the release date. Obviously, HMP

Lindholme plays a critical role in this process. The arrangements are fully supported by

Offender Supervisors. At stage 2 supervisors will contribute to the process with reports, but

not necessarily attend the Board. At stage3 attendance with reports is made by a Supervisor

and the Head of Department.

Advice and Assistance Available to Prisoners

When prisoners arrive at HMP Lindholme they must be seen by an Offender Supervisor

within 14 days. The Board, as in last year’s report is concerned that the time scale is not

being sustained and the programme for providing Sentence Packs is frequently behind

schedule. The PID (Prisoner Information Desks) system is supported by the establishment.

PID workers are employed on each wing and they provide information to prisoners by

issuing them with essential forms to contact the departments who are best placed to assist

them with their issues. However, the Board has been very disappointed to see that Band 4

Officers are continually redeployed to operational duties and as a result they are unable to

assist prisoners with advice.

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ROTL (Release on Temporary Licence) & HDC (Home Detention Curfew)

ROTL is the mechanism by which prisoners may undertake activities in the community that

are necessary and/or which cannot be facilitated within an establishment. During the

reporting year, the criteria for granting ROTL has been revised and there is now a two-tier

approach under which more serious and higher risk prisoners must be considered. This

precludes temporary release from closed prisons and reserves it for where enhanced

behaviour operates; it needs the decision to be endorsed by the Governor/Deputy Governor,

all other offenders will be considered under the Standard ROTL regime. None this year.

HDC is a system for prisoners serving sentences of between three months and four years

who can be considered for the scheme which grants early release. HDC is a privilege, not a

right, and despite a date being automatically generated for the majority of prisoners, not all

prisoners will be eligible. HDC has been revised and it now has to be proven why it should

not be granted and reviews are conducted on a daily basis. The number of prisoners

accessing HDC in this reporting year is 32

HMP Lindholme also houses a number of FNP’s (Foreign National Prisoners) / Lifer

Prisoners / IPP prisoners (Indeterminate sentences for Public Protection).

There were: 33 FNP’s - 83 (Lifer Prisoners) and 78 (IPP prisoners) during this reporting

period.

Encouraging Family Links

In the Board’s previous report, Family Links was managed under (Resettlement - Offender

Management) The themed Family Days were to be held four times within the year with

discussions to increase the number of events. The positive feedback that was given to

visiting IMB members was very encouraging and the activities for parents and children were

well organised. The Board is pleased to report that an extra two events were held in the

reporting year totalling six, so the Family Days theme in future will be held six times per year

as standard.

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5.6 SAFER CUSTODY Safer Custody, includes ACCTs (Assessment, Care, Custody and Team Work)

The staffing level in this reporting period has risen throughout the year to an acceptable

number. This gives provision for training more band 4 staff in the work of prisoners on ACCT

documents. In this reporting period there has been a rise in the number of prisoners on

ACCT from 275 to 325. There has been a lack of sufficient knowledge for managing ACCTs,

where poor completion of ACCT documents has led to concerns within management and

this Board. Whilst some issues are the result of poor clerical work, some arise from

documents which lacked completion of observations. The lack of quality “conversations”

entries means there is little possibility of officers becoming aware of prisoners’ day to day

anxieties. Safer Custody officers support prisoners on ACCT documents which include

prisoners who are being bullied or who self harm and other vulnerable prisoners.

HMP Lindholme runs a Safer Custody Meeting and a member of the Board attends as an

observer. The Safer Custody Committee monitor, review and discuss incidents of violence

looking at the outcomes for victims and appropriate action for perpetrators. Attending the

monthly meeting is a multi-discipline group including representatives from Safer Prisons,

Security, Healthcare, Samaritans, IMB and Prisoner Listeners. However, in this reporting

year there has been a lack of Healthcare input due to the shortage of staff in this

department.

Information appropriate to the care of the prisoner population is submitted to the meeting

and is considered for any relevant action. Information is shared on ACCTs opened and

closed along with incidents of self harm, death in custody, violence reduction policies,

performance information and departmental reports. Prisoner Listener’s report each month on

prisoner contacts and on how the listener scheme is working.

Registered Safer Custody Incidents – February 2015 to January 2016

Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan

Physical Assaults including fights 6 2 5 3 6 4 4 5 8 8 8 17

Harassment and Threats 9 10 11 9 20 16 24 18 20 17 31 34

Debt 10 12 10 12 11 14 13 9 9 8 7 6

Use of Force Totals

Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan

19 26 26 28 26 26 37 40 35 25 19 40

ACCt's

Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan

24 36 26 20 28 29 24 18 27 30 26 37

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5.7 SEGREGATION The Segregation Unit is a custom designed building with facilities to hold twenty-four prisoners. Prisoners are removed from the main stream prison for either their own safety, having received threats from other prisoners, or for punishment for non-compliance when infringements of the Prison Discipline procedures have been committed. Offenders who have broken prison rules are dealt with on a daily basis by a presiding Governor after careful consideration is given to the evidence presented. This is held in the unit adjudication room and is regularly monitored by a member of the Board. In cases where a prisoner feels it is necessary to appeal his case, this is referred to the visiting Circuit Judge. Once again a member of the Board can be present. The Board considers the unit is well run and supervised, with prisoners being accorded respect and treated in accordance with Home Office procedures. The conduct of Adjudications is a case in point. Prisoners who appear before the presiding Governor have the charge clearly explained as well as the procedure and every care is taken to ensure that the prisoner clearly understands his legal rights. A Virtual Segregation Monthly Meeting is held between HMP’s Lindholme, Humber, Moorland and Ranby to facilitate the rotation of problematic prisoners. Prisoners who are detained in the Segregation Unit are automatically reviewed within 72 hours. This is a process designed to monitor the welfare of the prisoner and to plan future decisions which would affect either his continuing confinement or transfer elsewhere. A further review is carried out after 14 days. Members attend as observers whenever possible. The Board has to be satisfied that the procedure is fair before we are prepared to support any decisions. The average length of time spent in the unit throughout the year is 10 weeks. The Segregation Unit has seen further improvements by the installation of equipment in the exercise yards and electrical points in each cell. Televisions have also been installed on a risk assessment basis. SECURITY Security at HMP Lindholme continues to be a significant challenge because of the large area occupied by the prison and the fact that the surrounding land is scrubland which is open to the public. The prison is struggling with insufficient resources to cover such a large area. Staff levels are stretched and technical resources are very limited. Since the prison has been designated a Working Prison, the inmates are detained here for a longer period of time than in other prisons, this leads to more individuals from known gangs to be here and this can lead to unrest and illegal activity.

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5.8 RESIDENTIAL SERVICES - (includes Accommodation, Food, Catering and Kitchen)

Residential Accommodation Prisoners are housed in 10 accommodation Wings.

A to F WINGS are former RAF dormitories converted to mainly single cells and each Wing houses 64 prisoners on eight spurs G WING A two storey modern Wing comprising 120 single cells currently holding144

Prisoners.

J WING A three storey modern wing comprising 180 single cells, currently holding 208 Prisoners. This Wing also contains the Induction unit, Literacy, Numeracy and IT classrooms.

K WING A three storey modern wing comprising 180 single cells, currently holding

208 Prisoners. This Wing also contains the Care Suite. L WING A modular purpose built two storey Wing comprising thirty double cells each

with its own shower facility and houses Vulnerable Prisoners who are

particularly at risk from intimidation and bullying.

In addition, there is a Segregation Unit with a capacity to hold 24 prisoners in cellular accommodation.

The Prisoners’ Visits Centre is located close to the Gatehouse and Administrative block, with the Prisoners’ Visitor Reception located immediately outside the main gate.

A large modern Kitchen facility is located close to the prison entrance, enabling delivery

vehicles to have good access. prisoners and staff. Catering Staff produce quality menus

within a stringent financial budget that take into account all dietary requirements especially

during religious festivals and the Board commend them on their ability to produce these

meals.

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SECTION 6

Board Survey The Board as part of their monitoring process decided to conduct a yearly survey of

prisoners by use of a questionnaire and as stated in the last two reports, this has proved to

be a very effective exercise and the identified issues assisted the Board with their weekly

monitoring Rota duties.

In general terms it was encouraging to note that the findings of the Board’s third survey

paralleled those recorded in 2013 and 2014 e.g. the treatment of prisoners on arrival at the

prison, access to Listeners, security of property, and the treatment of prisoners by staff.

These findings were of a positive nature indicating a strong element of commitment towards

prisoners and their treatment.

Other areas of the prison, such as Offender Management and above all, preparation for life

in the outside world gives some cause for concern when 55% of those surveyed did not feel

that the prison had given them adequate assistance with a Sentence plan or preparation for

rehabilitation. Such preparation would involve vocational training, assistance with finding

accommodation, the nurturing of family ties and assistance with job applications as well as

providing basic educational qualifications.

This survey format will continue to be used by the Board and serious concerns within the

findings brought to the attention of the Governor. In this context specific areas containing

good performance will also be highlighted.

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SECTION 7 _________________________________________________________

THE WORK OF THE INDEPENDENT MONITORING BOARD

The Board currently comprises 8 Members.

Each week two members of the Board undertake a clearly specified Rota Visit. A system is followed which reflects the scale and variety of the areas visited and the need to record effectively and objectively members’ findings. They also undertake to answer prisoner applications and one of them attends Segregation reviews. Such activities bring members of the Board into direct contact with both prisoners and staff.

A Board Meeting is held every month at which the Governor or a member of the Senior Management Team attends and serious concerns monitored during visits are raised with him/her. The involvement of members at meetings allows the Board to operate as a cohesive team.

Members are assigned “Special Interest” areas and they also attend selected prison committees as observers. Concerns and observations are noted and discussed at Board Meetings.

Board Members were informed during the reporting year when incidents took place. There were 17, and a Member attended when the Command suite was opened.

The Chairman wishes to record his grateful thanks for the assistance and support the Board have given him, particularly when the “Tenure Rule “and recruiting procedure has left the Board with limited experience and the demands placed on the few remaining members required increased attendance at the prison.

IMB is a voluntary organisation. If anyone reading this report feels they would be interested in a role with our Board, please contact the IMB clerk at HMP Lindholme – Tel 01302 524700

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7.1 BOARD STATISTICS

Board Statistics

Recommended Complement of Board Members

16

Number of Board members at the start of the reporting period

9

Number of Board members at the end of the reporting period

8

Number of new members joining within the reporting period

2

Number of members leaving within the reporting period

3

Total number of Board meetings during the reporting period

12

Total number of visits to the Establishment

389

Total number of segregation reviews held

364

Total number of segregation reviews attended

348

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7.2 IMB APPLICATIONS

Code Subject 2015/

2016 2014

A Accommodation

6 8

B Adjudications

7 8

C Equality & Diversity (including religion)

4 3

D Education/employment/training Inc. Incentive & Earned privilege

17 23

E.1 Family/visits including mail and phone

3 10

E.2 Finance/pay

0 4

F Food/kitchen related

1 4

G Health related

28 24

H.1 Property (within current establishment)

45 27

H.2 Property (during transfer/in another establishment)

12 10

H.3 Canteen, facilities, catalogue shopping, Argos

0 2

I Sentence related (inc HDC, ROTL, parole, release dates, re-cat etc.)

35 48

J Staff/prisoner/detainee concerns including bullying

6 8

K Transfers

31 13

L Miscellaneous

37 19

M

Complaints 22 4

Total number of IMB Applications

244 225

Total number of IMB Confidential Access

26 46

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APPLICATION MONITORING - 2015/2016

Location Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan

A Wing 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 1 1 2 0 1

B Wing 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 4 1 0 2

C Wing 0 2 0 0 0 4 0 2 2 0 0 1

D Wing 3 1 2 0 1 2 0 0 2 1 3 5

E Wing 0 0 1 1 0 5 0 1 0 3 0 0

F Wing 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 1

G Wing 4 6 0 6 5 3 7 5 5 10 2 9

J Wing 9 11 4 0 3 4 3 2 2 1 1 2

K Wing 8 4 5 1 1 1 1 5 5 7 1 3

L Wing 3 1 1 3 1 2 0 1 3 1 3 0

Seg 1 0 0 0 3 4 0 1 0 0 2 8

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Totals 29 27 15 15 15 26 11 21 25 26 12 32

24

IMB Lindholme Record of Areas Visited From February 2015 - January 2016

Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Total

Segregation + Check ACCT 5 4 4 4 5 3 5 4 5 6 4 3 52

Interventions 1 1 1 1 1 5

Healthcare 2 1 1 3 4 2 4 1 3 2 2 1 26

Adjudications 2 2 1 3 3 1 2 3 4 2 4 3 30

Kitchen 4 4 4 4 5 2 6 4 4 5 5 4 51

Mental Health 2 3 3 1 5 2 3 3 3 3 3 31

CIT Paint Shop 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 11

Zone 1 Education 1 1 1 1 1 5

Zone 2 Education 1 1 2

Zone 3 Bakery 1 1 1 3 1 5 2 2 1 1 18

Auto Mechanics 1 1 1 1 4

Bicycle Refurbishment 2 1 1 1 1 2 8

Zone 7 TV Dis Assembly 2 1 1 1 5

Welding 1 1 1 1 1 5

Textiles 1 1 1 2 3 1 1 1 11

Horticulture 1 1 4 1 1 8

Recycling 2 2

CES/Laundry 1 1 2 1 1 6

Gym 2 3 1 3 1 3 1 2 2 1 3 22

Prisoners Reception 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 9

Visitors Centre 1 1 1 2 5

NVQ Catering/Bistro 3 4 2 1 1 3 1 2 17

Chapel 3 3 4 3 5 2 4 4 3 4 35

Security Department 4 3 2 2 1 1 5 2 4 5 4 4 37

Library 2 2 5 2 2 13

A Wing 3 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 12

B Wing 1 2 2 1 1 2 1 10

C Wing 2 1 2 1 1 1 8

D Wing 2 1 3 1 2 9

E Wing 1 1 1 3 1 1 8

F Wing 1 1 1 2 1 2 8

G Wing 2 2 1 4 2 1 1 1 14

J Wing 1 1 1 2 1 2 8

K Wing 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 1 12

L Wing 1 1 1 1 2 1 7

Correspondence 2 2

Lighting 1 1 2

Grand Total 38 46 29 46 31 19 83 39 55 51 42 39 518